Louisiana
When will Live! open Louisiana casino in Bossier? First slot machines roll onto gaming floor
More than 1,000 slot machines are being loaded onto the Live! Casino & Hotel gaming floor this week in Bossier City as Cordish Co. prepares to open its new Louisiana resort.
The big question: When will the jackpots begin ringing?
“We’re still on target for early 2025,” Joshua Robinson, vice president of marketing, told USA Today Network Thursday without revealing the specific target date. “We’re getting closer and closer every day.”
Construction on the $270-million project continues for all phases — casino, event spaces, hotel and restaurants — as well as the hiring of 750 permanent employees.
“When the first (slot machines) hit the floor, this became an active gaming space,” said Robinson, which means specific security has to be in place and nobody under 21 can go onto the gaming floor even during construction. “Seeing these machines coming onto the gaming floor is another milestone.”
Robinson said the slot machines represent the favorite gaming consumer brands in the industry, from Dragon Cash to the traditional Double Diamond.
In all, the casino will offer 47,000 square feet of gaming space.
Live! will be the first land-based casino in the Shreveport-Bossier market.
Cordish’s top executives have promised that the new Live! Casino will be a destination resort that will attract conventions and tourists from beyond Louisiana’s borders.
“It’s going to have a quality and energy that when you walk into this property, you’ll feel like you’re in a premier casino and resort in the top gaming markets, including Las Vegas,” said Jon Cordish, a partner with The Cordish Companies, in a previous interview with USA Today Network.
The available jobs are posted at Louisiana.LiveCasinoHotel.com/Careers and include positions in every operation of the resort, including hotel, gaming, finance, marketing, human resources, information technologies, food and beverage, facilities, security and surveillance and more.
Robinson said customers will experience “a wow factor” when they walk in the door, from the gaming floor to the entertainment venues to the restaurants like The Prime Rib and Luk Fu.
“It’s going to be a fully immersive entertainment destination,” he said.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
Louisiana
Gov. Landry declares state of emergency after flooding, severe weather across Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Governor Landry has officially declared Louisiana under state of emergency.
The state emergency declaration covers Avoyelles, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes.
The declaration was issued Thursday following the impacts of Tropical Storm Arthur, which brough rainfall and strong storms to parts of the state on June 17 and 18.
Officials said the National Weather Service has confirmed three tornadoes tied to the storm system.
Officials also reported record or near-record rainfall totals in Avoyelles and Pointe Coupee parishes over a 12-hour period.
The order allows the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to coordinate resources and provide assistance to local governments if needed.
Certain state purchasing and bidding requirements have been temporarily suspended to speed up emergency response efforts.
The declaration took effect immediately and will remain in place through July 18 unless it is lifted or extended.
State officials are urging residents to stay weather aware, avoid flooded roadways and follow guidance from local emergency managers.
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Louisiana
North Louisiana Crime Lab warns of cyclorphine cases, counterfeit pill “footprint”
MONROE, La. (KNOE) – The North Louisiana Crime Lab released a June 2026 law enforcement bulletin warning of additional cases tied to cyclorphine, a synthetic opioid the lab says can be significantly more potent than fentanyl.
The bulletin, titled “Cyclorphine Update — Additional Cases & Footprint,” notes that drug evidence submissions testing positive for cyclorphine have been received from multiple parishes in North Louisiana.
What is cyclorphine?
According to the bulletin, cyclorphine is a synthetic opioid in the emerging orphine drug class. The lab said current toxicity data are limited, but laboratory studies indicate cyclorphine may be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl.
Reported effects
The crime lab said cyclorphine can produce effects similar to other narcotic analgesics, including:
- Central nervous system depression
- Lethargy or stupor
- Respiratory depression with slow, shallow breathing
- Pinpoint pupils
The bulletin said Narcan should be administered to someone suffering from cyclorphine toxicity, and that multiple doses may be needed.
What the bulletin says about trends
The crime lab said national data indicate cyclorphine will likely continue spreading through the region, including becoming more common in seized and submitted drug evidence.
Where cyclorphine has been detected
The bulletin includes a “detection timeline and counterfeit tablet types,” showing evidence submissions tied to specific parishes and dates, including:
- Caddo Parish (Feb. 19; April 14)
- Ouachita Parish (March 18; May 13)
- DeSoto Parish (March 25)
- Natchitoches Parish (May 14)
The lab also noted counterfeit pill types associated with these submissions, including tablets labeled “M30,” “M15,” “K56,” “1259,” and “M367.” Officials warned it may be impossible to know what a pill contains, even if it resembles a known tablet.
The North Louisiana Crime Lab said it will continue tracking trends and sharing updates as additional evidence is submitted.
Copyright 2026 KNOE. All rights reserved.
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